Albert henby smith



March 18, 1930. SMITH Re. 17,625 CINEMATOGRAPH FILM Original Filed June18, 1926 3 4 1 noununmnnnuunoonnnuuoub'fi I @ooonnounnouonooomum0on0 IReissued Mar. 18, 1930 ALBERT HENRY SMITH, F BIRMINGHAM, ENGLANDCINEMATOGRAPH FILM Original No. 1,674,528, dated June 19, 1928,; SerialNo. 116,923, filed June 18, 1926, and in Great Britain June 3, 1926.Application for reissue filedMay 21, 1929. Serial No. 364,922.

rations, but also have a snatching action thereon, with the result thatthe material at the edges of the perforations cracks and tears away.This invention has for its object to obviate this defect and toconsiderably increase the life of the film.

According to the present improvements, a cinematograph or like film isstrengthened on one side on the full length of each edge by a flat stripor ribbon of metal which is fixed on or interlocked with the previouslyperforated film. The strips have tongues out therefrom which are of asize corresponding to the size of the required perforation in the stripand which are bent through the perforations in the film and folded somearound the front edges and some around the rear edges of suchperforations, the strip of metal being of such a character and soconnected to the film that the film can be wound into a close coil andbent into varying curvatures whilst passing through projecting apparatusor the like. The metal strips are also so connected to the film thatcreep is prevented. The said tongues of metal are preferably pressedback on the film whilst the film and metal strips are passed around acylindrical surface. The metal strips may also be of thinner gauge thanthe film, and such metal strips are pref erably located on the outerside of the film.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is an outer face view of a portion ofa film constructed according to this invention.

Figure 2 is an inner face view.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view, the section being taken online w a; of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation drawn to an enlargedscale, the section being taken on line y y of Figure 2.

F'gure 5 is a view showing the position of the film when the tongues arepressed back on the inner side of the film.

According to a convenient embodiment of this invention, the full lengthof the film 1 s strengthened on each edge by the metal st-ripsor ribbons2, located on the outer face of the film. These metal strips havetongues 3 pierced therefrom which are substantiallythe same size as theperforations in the strip and such tongues are bent around an edge ofthe perforations 4, and clamped or pressed down on the film, thusforming long, trailing, flexible tongues which lie fiat against thesurface of the film, and which because of their length and because oftheir flexibility, flex and bend with the film, but always remain inintimate contact therewith. The film is required to be wound into aclose coil and to pass around surfaces having various curvatures, andalso to move in a straight path. As the metal strip is positioned on theouter face of the film the length of metal strip passing round a curvedportion of the film will vary slightly from the length of metal striplying on a correspondingly straight portion of the film, and therefore aslight movement between the film and metal strip is provided for, whilstat the same time the metal strips are prevented from creeping bodily inrelation to the film. The metal tongues 3 for this purpose arepreferably pressed around the edges of the perforations in such a mannerthat a small space 5 is left between the edge of the perforation and theinside of the tongue. I To prevent the strips creeping bodily sometongues are bent forwardly and some tongues 2 are bent rearwardly. Whenthe film is passing through the gate of the projecting machine the edgesof the tongues 3 are rearwardly directed, whilst the edges of thetongues 2 areforwardly directed. The tongues 2 are therefore more liableto be lifted, but this liability is prevented by the protection affordedb the tongues 3 which protect the edges 0 the tongues 2 The tongues arepressed back on the film whilst the film and metal strips are bent rounda cylindrical surface as shown by Figure 5. In order to give sufiicientflexibility to the metal strips so that the film is not damaged in usesuch metal strip is of a thinner gauge than the film and for ordinaryfilms I at present in use the metal strips are conveniently threethousandths of an inch thick and formed of phosphor or other bronze orother metal which can be rolled or formedi'into thin strips, andpossesses the required flexibility and strength. The flexibility of suchstrips between the points of attachment also allows a slight movement totalre place between the strips and the film to enable the strengthenedfilm to take up any curvature in use. The physical properties of thephosphor orhke bronze strips are such that the tongues can be bent tolie close against the film and are not liable to be'lifted during thecoiling and recoiling in the pa'ssagethrough the apparatus; Again thereliability and strength of the metal enables the strips to remainattached to the film without damage to thefilm and without applyingtearing strains thereon.

The life of a film thus reinforced will be considerably lengthened, asthe life of a film has heretofore usually been governed by the the film,and a reinforcin strip on one surface of the film and extendedlongitudinally of the film, the strip being provided with perforationsregistering with the perforations of thefilm, the material freed in theformation of the perforations of the strip being fashioned into tongueswhich are extended through the perforations of the film and overlappedon the opposite surface of the film, spaced pairs of adjoining tonguesbeing extended toward each other in opposite directions, and all of thetongues intervening between the said pairs projecting in one direction,the edge of the perforation in the strip that is opposite to each ofsaid inter vening tongues being plain.

2. The combination with aclnematograph film having driving wheelperforations arranged in a longitudinal line adjacent the edge of thefilm,of a continuous reinforcing strip extending longitudinally of thefilm having perforations registering withthe perforationsin the film,tongues secured to said reinforcing strip at the transverse edges ofsaid perforations, said tongues being substantially the same lengthassaid perforations and being bent around the adjacent transverse edgeof the film perforation to form longtrailing flexibleholding members forsecuring the reinforcing strip to the film.

The combination with a cinematograph fi'ln'i having driving wheelperforations arranged in a longitudinal line adjacent the edge of thefilm, of a continuous reinforcing strip extending longitudinally of thefilm having a succession of perforations registering with theperforations in the film, the material punched from said reinforcingstrip to form each of said perforations forming a: single tongue securedto a transverse edge of the respective perforations, said tongue beingbent around the adjacent transverse edge of the filmcperforationto holdsaid reinforcing strip to the film.

4:. A cinematograph film having driving wheel perforations therein, anda continuous reinforcingstrip of flexible material having registeringperforations therein, said reinforcing strip beingsecured to said filmby means of a multiplicity of trailing tongues formed integrally withsaid strip, said tongues being substantially the same length as saidperforations.

A. cinematograph film having driving wheel perforations therein, and acontinuous reinforcing strip of flexible material having registeringperforations therein, said reinforcing strip being secured to said filmby means of a multiplicity of trailing tongues formed integrally withsaid strip, said tongues being punched from said strip in formingsaidperforations and being substantially the same length as saidperforations. i i

, 6.. The combination with a cinematograph film having driving whee].perforations arranged in a longitudinal line adjacent the edge of thefilm, of a continuous reinforcing strip extending longitudinally of thefilm having perforations registering with the perforations in the film,tongues secured to said reinforcing strip at the transverse edges ofsaid perforations, said tongues being substan tially the same length assaid perforations and being bent around the adjacent transverse edge ofthe film perforation to form long trailing flexible holding members forsecuring the reinforcing strip to the film, and means to preventcreeping of said strips with respect to said films. I

*7. A cinematograph film having driving wheel perforations therein, acontinuous reinforcing strip of flexible material having registeringperforations therein, said reinforcing strip being secured to said filmby means oftrailing tongues formed integrally with said strip, saidtongues being substantially the same length as said perforations,

and means to prevent creeping of said strips with respect tosaid films.

8. The combination with a cinematograph film having driving Wheelperforations arrangedin a longitudinal line adjacent the edge of thefilm, of a continuous reinforcing strip extending longitudinally of thefilm having perforations registering with the perforations in the film,tongues secured to said reinforcing strip at the transverse edges ofsaid perforations, said tongues being substantially the same length assaid perforations and being bent around the adjacent transverse edge ofthe film perforation to form long trailing flexible holding members forsecuring the reinforcing strip to the film, and additional similaroppositely directed tongues to prevent creeping of said strips withrespect to said films.

9. A cinematograph film having driving 5 wheel perforations therein, acontinuous reinforcing strip of flexible material having registeringperforations therein, said reinforcing strip being secured to said filmby means of trailing tongues formed integrally with said strip, saidtongues being substantially the same length as said perforations, andadditional similar oppositely directed tongues to prevent creeping ofsaid strips with respect to said films.

10. A cinematograph film having driving wheel perforations therein, areinforcing strip of flexible material having registering perforationstherein, said reinforcing strip being secured to said film by means oftraila ing tongues formed integrally with said strip, said tongues beingsubstantially the same length as said perforations, and additionaloppositely directed tongues to prevent creeping of said strips withrespect to said films,

the facing ends of said oppositely directed tongues standing behind andin position to be protected by the ends of said trailing tongues.

11. A cinematograph film having driving wheel perforations therein, anda continuous reinforcing strip of flexible material having registeringperforations therein, said reinforcing strip being secured to said filmby means of trailing flexible tongues which lie flat against the surfaceof the film and flex and bend therewith.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this16th day of May, 1929.

ALBERT HENRY SMITH.

